We are going to do a show in about a month on childhood obesity. We mentioned this on show #16, and we already have some feedback. This is really a complex issue.



We want to provide people with some tested real life strategies to help parents with overweight or potentially overweight children.



So does anyone have any good suggestions?

The show on childhood obesity is coming up in a couple weeks. The crickets in this topic are deafening. I know some of you have kids. Share your thoughts on the subject. Here are some questions to get your mind churning:



Were you an overweight child?



Did your family have healthy, balanced meals?



Did you eat out when you were a child? How much?



Did lessons learned as a child influence your current eating habits?



Do you blame your parents for your current bad habits?



Are parents ultimately responsible for their children's weight?



Should children be put on diets?



Should children be punished for making bad food choices? Sneaking food?

Alright lets see...



I wasn't always overweight as a child, probably when I was around 13 the weight jumped on, by probably 16 or 17 I was obese based on BMI. I'm 19 now and finally back into the overweight category (woot!)



Looking back I think the real killer was my parents giving me a decent ammount of pocketmoney and not really being able to control what I spent it on (chips, chips, more chips). I guess I really should get one of them to post in this thread They were otherwise busy with work, and I think a stronger interest in my habits would've helped me. They're very supportive and loving, always have been, but compared to my mates I knew I was being spoiled just a bit too much...



I don't blame them as such, but undoubtedly they do have to shoulder atleast some responsibility. This whole lifestyle takes maturity, I obviously wasn't ready to make drastic lifestyle changes until I was 19. In contrast, my sister reached that mature stage at 16 or 15 years and lost a lot of weight at that age. Things would've been a lot different had my parents been more strict in developing my habits, this isn't just regarding weightloss but also applies to things like brushing your teeth at night, study habits etc.



Another thing I think wouldve helped is to allow junkfood but teach moderation. Have a family macca's night every tuesday for example, be strict on it and make it a family rule that Tuesday nights is the official, once a week night. We didn't eat out much as a family however the food my parents cooked at home was of pretty bad choice, and by the time I was in my mid teens if I was hungry I'd throw the oven on and cook a pizza.



Umm scheduled dinners I think are also important, around the table together. Even if not everyone can make it, those that can should be there.



Last thing I can think of that wouldve helped me, is packed lunches. Make sandwhiches and such for them and try get them to prepare their own lunches eventually, the night before. Soooo much of my weight wouldve been put on because my school had a great selection of meatpies and sausage rolls at the canteen, and i had money to spend which I a) didnt earn myself and b) the spending thereof wasn't questioned by my parents.



All I can think of at the moment, hope that helps



QUICK EDIT: Just a thought regarding teaching habits, it helps a lot if your parents can be role models for that. My whole family was overweight, they've battled with their weight for aslong as I can remember. For any parents reading this I think one of the best things you could do in dealing with an overweight child, is developing healthy lifestyle habits yourself. Any traineo member here that's undergone a significant lifestyle change (lost lots of weight!) is going to be a great parent in that respect, IMO.

Personally I was never overweight as a child, though through my studies, coaching and various avenues that I have explored I may be able to assist with this project.



My view is that too much emphasis is placed on what you tell kids, how many calories you feed them, the size of the meals etc... and in my opinion a million shows on this theme is not going to create a change. There have been many shows/ programmes that have completed disregarded the kids and focused purely on dealing with the issues of the parents. Now there may well be something valuable in this.



Children learn a great deal at a relatively young age, even before they have a strong command of language. (I also, have had to track back a few times in my own learning and re-write some of my internal programming from yester-year). In my opinion, we have to work with the deeper level that goes much deeper than proving/ disproving an arguement at a conscious level. Facts and knowledge is not always enough to change behaviour patterns. And that is what leads to obeses children, it is behaviour patterns. 9 kids out of 10 in the UK eat crap food, though they don't all balloon up. We can't always point the finger at genetics unfortunately either, though there is a factor here.



Ultimately Genetics + Environment = What you see



If I can help in anyway or explain myself further please let me know.

I was a normal sized child, but slowly gained weight as pueberty approached, (we moved from a small town to the big city and I discovered cable TV ; ), I remained chubby until one fine day at age 13, I just woke UP, discovered some formidable inner strength and got workin' out.



Back then I didn't put much thought into what I ate, but that jump in activity brought my weight to an optimal level in no time, which lasted throughout highschool.



As for how I was raised, it was the same as my brother, who has always been super fit. We ate 3 squares a day and I can't ever remember snacking or sitting around watching TV until 11 or 12 ish, which is when the weight really came on.



I think our family went out to eat perhaps 7 whole times until I was age 10 or so. Even after that, my folks have just never really been rest. people.



They were very career oriented, (both teachers), and so for all of my teen years, I was handling my own breakfasts, which usually consisted of nothing until noon at school. (Interesting, as those years were the slim ones).



I don't blame them for how I turned out, 'cause in the end, after learning a few hard lessons on my own, I think I turned out pretty darned good, physically, spiritually and intellectually. That said, if I was a mama, I'd likely be a little more hands on than they were.



I'd do all I could to ensure that the wee one knew all he/she could about eating right, and how food works and how cool it is. And there would be no empty calorie foods in the house, just natural stuff that tastes good. Fun is key, I reckon.



As for snacking, I'm more of the Euro-mindset, and that's to be actually hungry when sitting down for a proper meal with friends and family, which means no snacking.

My family was hugely unhealthy growing up; lots of giant meals, lots of food. We didn't eat out often because my parents are pretty much tightasses with money on that, but there wasn't a lot of exercise in the house. We had a Nintendo and that was preferred to letting us play outside... my parents tried really hard to shelter us.



For my brother that didn't work out so well. He was pretty large growing up, to the point where he had major self esteem issues (and still does, though he won't admit it) and was teased often at school. Me? I rebelled, I went the other direction and snuck out to play basketball, worked out constantly because I didn't want to look like the people in my family.



In the end, I lost my drive for that, but I honestly don't blame or credit my family for that or for my childhood success at being healthy and fit. I think todays parents have a harder time with so much of our lives being focused aruond the digital world. We've got the internet which most of us spend way too much time on. Xbox's, PS3s and Wiis. All the "hot trends" are video games or something similar and unhealthy snack foods are cheaper and more available (at least it feels like it). At least for me, when I grew up, the things I wanted were all sports related. I haven't even seen a commercial for a child oriented fitness "toy" in ages. "Be like Mike" is a thing of the past, even on ESPN. Now you see more commercials for hunting dinosaurs as Turok than you do of Charles Barkley not wanting to be a role model.



Really, the truth is that people need to make an active effort to figure out how to connect the dots with todays generation of children... with THEIR children. I think a lot of folks try to do what worked with the previous generations, or dismiss it altogether. The fact is, children today are growing up in a new environment that none of us have experienced and I think there's a tendency to wait until later that kind of mirrors a trend in video game design (which I know a thing or two about! Ironically I'm blaming "my industry" for this problem heh):



In games, there's a tendency to overlook "early" content. Think of games like World of Warcraft, where you level up and move through content based on level. Designers tend to gloss over the early stuff because the objective is to get players hooked in the end-game stuff, so new content is generated for the max-level players to keep them around (and paying). I think a lot of parents kind of dismiss how hard it is to keep children interested in being fit and just kind of wait to get past it and hope that they'll be able to do it later, but that generation gap NEVER goes away, so it never gets easier, and the longer you wait the harder it is to break the bad habits.



I guess we can borrow a slogan from the cigarette companies "earlier" days: hook em while they're young.

Heheh, I'm glad the only video game we had back in the 70's was Pong!



I think I got into it for perhaps for an evening or two. I prefered the hills.

I was never overweight as a child late teens I probably started to slowly pack on the pounds....



I hope that now, my children learn from my example of positive eating..they are pretty good eaters and LOVE everything..they get the occassional 'treat' like a little chocolate or a small 25g bag of crisps..their fave 'treat' at the moment though is a slice of wholegrain pumpkin seed bread toasted (of course!) and smeared with some Nutella..they think it is heaven and I don't mind as theres worse snacks they could be having...

Sounds like at least a slice of heaven to me too.



Try adding some slices of 'nana to that next time, I LOVE THE COMBO. Haven't had it in years but when I do, I'll really ENJOY.

I think a lot of why we see childhood obesity is that children are not nearly as active now. Kids sitting in front of TV or video games all day rather than outside running around is a large factor. Unhealthy eating is another factor, but from talking to people older than me, they remember eating a lot as a kid and having huge family meals. The difference is that they also remember that they were active, and many children are now much more seditary.

I disagree here Dean.



Unless everyone talks about childhood obesity, it won't get fixed. Whether it be our show, or a million shows, whatever, the more it's talked about, the more information is disseminated. Not everyone is going to get their information in the same way. Whether it's podcast, tv, radio, billboard, Internet forum, the more the information is put out there, the more power parents and kids have to change their health for the better.



Until childhood obesity, or whatever problem that needs changing is on everyone's lips, nothing will get changed.

I don't have overweight kids but what I do to try to do to prevent it is have no junk in the house. If we are shopping he can get a treat. I Try to get mostly healthy kids meals if eating out. We are home alot and if there isn't any chips or chocolate there to eat then I figure you're not going to get that fat on fruit , wholegrain bread, vege soups ect.

I also talk to him alot about what happens if u eat too much junk food. I tell him if u eat too much u get fat. It's that simple. Making sure ur kids have plenty of outdoor time also helps. On the down side my sons so used to seeing me diet he only wants to drink diet coke like me. I feel like a child abuser letting my son drink that stuff so now I order juice for him whenever possible.



My memory at school was usually the overweight kids had parents to match. When I visted their homes there was usually a huge amount of junk food on offer.

I was an overweight child, but I can't say I blame my parents for all of it. I wasn't a very active child and I thought that sitting in front of the TV was way more fun than playing outside. I have always been very close with my family and this included many gatherings and events, and food was a main focus. I was speaking to a friend about reunions with her family and she described playing many games and going on hikes. When my family gets together we sit, talk, and eat, (A lot!). Of course when I was young at these events all of the kids would play, or use the playground equipment, but the adults in my life were not setting an active example.



I believe that supervision is key when we are speaking of overweight children. I didn't have much supervision after school, so I could eat whatever I wanted. I have a cousin in the 3rd grade, she's 4'10" and probably weighs over 120 pounds. She, her brother, and her sister do not have much supervision after school either. Her family gets fast food several times a week, she doesn't get much exercise, and her parents keep the kids stocked with chips, white bread, and frozen junk (Hot Pockets, Pizza, Burritos). If her parents were to buy fruit, veggies, and whole grain products I believe she, and the rest of her family, would be in much better health. I hope that she sees me as a rolemodel and my weight loss journey as something that she could do too.



Education is also important. Teaching kids what is good for them, what is not so good for them, and that a treat is just that, a treat. Not something to be had all of the time.



In short I believe the important steps are: Example, Supervision, Keeping kitchens stocked with healthy food, and Education.

I think another huge part of the problem comes from this: it is a) easier and b) cheaper to feed kids on crap foods.



Those are major contributing factors to obesity in general. It costs nothing to eat horribly (but eventually, it costs everything). It's so much easier to chuck stuff in a microwave when you're going going going at work and are exhausted and don't feel like packing a lunch when you get home at night.



Kids multiply that problem tenfold for parents: they are already difficult to manage and they are already expensive. I think some people just wind up giving in to convenience.

I was overweight as a kid and never quite figured out why. We had whole grain breads, lots of fruits and veggies, very little sugary cereals, no koolaid, yes to skim milk, hardly ate red meat, never had chips or candy in the house unless my mom had baked or we got them for a party or something. Mom cooked meals and there was very little fast food or eating out at all for that reason. I think part of the problem was that eating crap became a special occasion- going out to eat with grandparents, or getting ice cream on a saturday night, there was no emphasis on portion control anywhere. Even when I started doing weight watchers, I realized WHAT I was eating was just fine, it was just the "how much" part. Apparently they tried to get me to exercise more, but there were no kids in the neighborhood and I was pretty nerdy, just liked to read. So it might have helped if they made more regular efforts to get daily exercise as a family- not just going swimming or hiking on the weekends. But, my sister has always been thin, so who knows.